Loading machine



NOV. 23, 1943. NIX 2,334,835

' LOADING MACHINE Filed June 13, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 OWN WWI vINVENTOR EA-N IX FIGLI BY r An-ORNEYS 'Nov. 23, 1943. mx 2,334,835

LOADING MACHINE Filed June 13, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 3 F13 wmmhw ATTO R N EYS Patented Nov. 19.43

" UNITED STATES PATENT FFlCE LOADING MACHINE Edmund A. Nix. Montreal,Quebec, Canada, as-

signor to Dominion Hoist a Shovel Company Limited, Lacbine, Quebec,Canada Application June 13, 1942, Serial No. 446,993 7 Claims. (Cl.214-131) The main feature of the invention consists in' the provision ofimproved means for swinging the bucket from loading to dumping positionand vice versa, said means comprising, in its preferred embodiment, ashort boom mounted to swing about. a fixed horizontal axis located atthe lower end thereof, a pair of bucket arms carrying a bucket betweentheir lower ends and having their upper ends pivotally connected to theupper end portion of the boom and a pair of links for swinging thebucket carrying arms about their pivotal connections to the boom,corresponding ends of said links being pivotally secured to the bucketcarrying arms at a suitable point intermediate the ends of said arms andthe remaining ends of said links being mounted to swing about a fixedhorizontal axis located rearwardly of the fixed boom axis about whichthe boom is mounted to swing. The bucket is disposed in digging positionwhen the boom is in a substantially vertical or upright position withthe bucket carrying arms extending downwardly from their points ofpivotal connection with the boom. When the bucket is filled the boom isswung rearwardly and downwardly to a substantially horizontal position.During this movement of the boom the links function to swing the bucketcarrying arms upwardly and rearwardly about their pivotal connections tothe boom so that said arms are completely inverted to dispose the bucketin an elevated dumping position by the time the boom reaches itshorizontal position. During reverse movement of the boom the said linkserve to swing the bucket carrying arms -forwardly about theirpivotalconnections to the boom so that, by the time the boom is restored to itsnormal upright position, the bucket carrying arms will be returned totheir normal digging position in which they extend downwardly from theirpivotal connections to the boom and support the bucket in a diggingPosition in front ofthe machine. Any suitable mechanism may be employedfor swinging the boom about'its pivotal axis but I presently prefer toemploy an air motor having its piston rod directly connected to the boomsubstantially in the manner hereinafter described. x

Other objects, features and characteristic advantages of my inventionwill be more readily understood from the following detailed descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 isa side elevational view of my improved loading machine.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of said machine; and

Fig. 3 is a front end elevation of the machine shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 5

designates a truck equipped with wheels 6 arranged torun on track railsI. A turn-table I is mounted on the truck 5 and carries the componentelements of my improved bucket actuating mechanism.

According to the preferred embodiment of my invention a relatively shortboom 9 is mounted to swing about a horizontal axis I0 located at thelower end of the boom and adjacent the front end of the turn-table. Abucket, indicated at H, is rigidly secured in place between the lowerends of a pair of bucket arms l2 having their upper ends secured to theupper end of boom 9 by suitable pivotal connections l3. An intermediateportion of each arm i2 is pivotally secured as at It to the forward endof a link I5 having its rear end mounted to swing about a fixedhorizontal axis I6 located rearwardly of the boom axis l0. Anintermediate portion of boom 9 is pivotally connected, as at IT, to thepiston rod [8 of a piston l9 working in an air cylinder 20, the latterbeing provided with trunnions 2| rotatably mounted in bearings 22provided at the upper ends of bearing standards 23 rising from theturn-table 8.

During the digging operation the parts are arranged as shown by fulllines in Fig. 1, the boom 9 being disposed in a substantially verticalposition with the bucket carrying arms I2 extending downwardly fromtheir pivotal connections I3 and the piston l9 positioned at the frontend of cylinder 20. When the bucket is filled pressure conditions withinthe cylinder 20 are varied so that the piston I9 is caused to move tothe rear end of the cylinder. The resulting motion of the piston rod I8causes the boom 9 to swing downwardlyarms i2 upwardly and rearwardlyabout their pivotal connections I3 so that, by the time the boom reachesits horizontal position, the arms I2 and the bucket I I are disposed inthe inverted dumping position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. Whenthe dumping operation is completed pressure conditions within thecylinder 20 are again varied to cause the piston 'I 9 to travel to thefront end of said cylinder. During this movement of the piston theboom 9is swung from the dotted to the full line position shown in Fig. 1 and,through the action of the links IS, the bucket arms I2 are swungforwardly about their pivotal connections I3 so that the bucket will bereturned to its digging or loading position when the boom is returned toits upright position.

Various methods may be resorted to for varying the pressure conditionswithin the cylinder 20 to effect the desired movement of the piston I9.In the present instance I have shown a fluid pressure line 25 connectedto the front end of the cylinder and a similar line 26 connected to therear end of the cylinder. These lines may be connected so that, when airor other fluid pressure is supplied to one end of the cylinder to movethe piston in one direction, the air or fluid pressure previouslysupplied to the opposite end of the cylinder is exhausted therefrom.They may also be connected so that the pressure in the front end of thecylinder is maintained at a constant value while the pressure in therear end of the cylinder is varied in such relation to the front endpressure as to move the piston forwardly or rearwardly depending onwhether the rear end cylinder pressure is greater or less than the frontend cylinder pressure. It will also be understood that the cylinder andpiston rod actuating mechanism shown in the drawings may be replaced byany other suitable mechanism for swinging the boom about its pivotalaxis. I

Suitable bumper springs 28 may be secured to the cylinder supportingstandards 23 so as to be engaged and compressed by the bucket carryingarms when the latter are in an inverted or dumping position as shown bydotted lines in Fig. 1. The pressure exerted by these springs-againstthe bucket carrying arms I2 assists the piston I9 inreturning the boom 9to its upright or loading position.

The specific assembly of parts required to provide the pivotal axis Iand the pivotal connections I3 and I1 constitute mechanical detailswhich are subject to considerable variation. In the present instance Ihave shown a boom bifurcated at its lower end to provide bearing members29 which are rotatably mounted on end portions of a pivot shaft 30 toprovide the pivotal axis III, the central portion of said shaft beingfixed against rotation by shaft supporting lugs 32 extending upwardlyfrom the turn-table 8. The upper end of the boom is also bifurcated toprovide a central cylinder receiving opening 33 which permits the boomto move past the cylinder as it travel to its horizontal position. Theupper end portions of the boom which lie at opposite sides of thecylinder receiving opening 33 carry short pivot shafts 34 on which theupper ends of the bucket carrying arms l2 are mounted to provide thepivotal connections I3. The intermediate portion of the boom lyingbetween the cylinder receiving opening 33 and the lower bearing member29 is provided with forwardly projecting reinforcing webs 35 which arespaced apart and present opposing pin-carrying members 36 in which theends of a pivot pin 31 are fitted. the central portion of said pin beingencircled by an eye member 38 provided at the front end of the pistonrod I8. This provides the pivotal connection I'I.

tionary shaft 43 to provide the previously mentioned horizontal axis I6,said shaft being held in place by the shaft supporting casting M. Thebucket carrying arms I2 are formed with inclined portions I2a which,when the parts are in the full line position shown in Fig. 1, bearagainst a bevelled surface 8a provided at the front end of the table 8.

Having thus described what I now consider to be the preferred embodimentof this invention it will be understood that various modifications maybe resorted to within the scope and spirit of the invention as definedby the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A loading machine of the mechanically actuated bucket type comprisinga boom mounted to swing about a fixed horizontal axis located asubstantial distance below the upper end of the boom, means for swingingsaid boom either forwardly or rearwardly through an angle notsubstantially greater, than. whereby said boom may be transposed from asubstantially vertical position to a substantially horizontal positionand vice versa, said boom extending rearwardly from its pivotal axiswhen disposed in said substantially horizontal position, a pair ofbucket arms carrying a bucket between the lower ends thereof, said armsbeing secured to said boom by pivotal connections which, when the boomis disposed in a vertical position, are located a substantial distanceabove the bucket and the axis about which the boom is swingable andmeans for swinging said arms upwardly. and rearwardly about said pivotalconnections and through an angle not substantially greater than 90during swinging movement of the boom from its vertical to its'horizontalposition, said last mentioned means also functioning to swingsaid armsforwardly and downwardly about said pivotal connections during swingingmovement of the boom from its horizontal to its vertical position.

2. A loading machine as set forth in claim 1, in which the means forswinging said boom comprises an air motor including a cylinder, meansmounting said cylinder for oscillating movement about a horizontalpivotal axis located above and rearwardly of the horizontal axis aboutwhich said boom is mounted to swing a piston working in said cylinderand a piston rod having one end a connected to said piston and the otherend connected directly to said boom.

3. A loading machine as set forth in claim 1, in which the means forswinging said boom is directly connected to and acts against portions ofthe boom located between said axis and said pivotal connections.

4. A loading machine as set forth in claim 1, in which the means forswinging said arms about said pivotal connections comprises rigid linkshaving corresponding ends pivoted directly to said arms at pointslocated between said pivotal connections and the bucket carrying ends ofthe arms, the remaining ends of said links being mounted to swing abouta fixed horizontal axis located rc rw r y of the axis about which theboom is mounted to swing.

5. A loading machine of the character described comprising a relativelyshort boom mounted to swing about a fixed horizontal axis located at thelower end thereof, means for swinging said boom from a substantiallyvertical to a substantially horizontal position and vice versa so that,in its substantially horizontal position, said boom extends rearwardlyfrom said axis, a pair of bucket arms carrying a bucket between theirlower ends and having their upper ends pivotally secured to the upperend of said boom so that, when the boom is in its vertical position,said arms extend downwardly therefrom and support the bucket in its diging or loading position, a pair of links having their front endspivotally secured to said arms at points located a substantial distancefrom the upper and lower ends of said arms, the rear ends of said linksbeing mounted to swing about a fixed horizontal axis located rearwardlyof said first mentioned axis so that, in the vertical position of theboom, the links are disposed in a substantially horizontal position withtheir rear ends slightly lower than their front ends, said links servingto swing said arms upwardly and rearwardly about their pivotalconnections to the boom in response to swinging movement of the boom toits substantially horizontal position and to swing said arms upwardlyand forwardly about said pivotal connections in response to swingingmovement of the boom from its horizontal to its vertical position.

Gil

30 to swing past said cylinder.

10 position, a pair of rigid link having their rear ends mounted toswing about a horizontal axis located rearwardly of the horizontal axisabout which the boom is mounted to swing, the forward ends of said linksbeing pivoted directly to inter- 15 mediate portions of the bucketcarrying arms located between the bucket and the pivotal connectionsbetween the bucket carrying arms and the boom, 9. cylinder mounted toswing about a horizontal axis located above and rearwardly 0f the 20axis about which the rear ends of the links are mounted to swing, apiston working in said cylinder and a piston rod having one endconnected to said piston and the other end directly connected to saidboom at a point located above the pivotal 25 axis of the boom but belowthe pivotal connections between the boom and the bucket arms.

1 7. A loading machine as set forth inclaim 6, in which the boom isslotted to permit the boom EDMUND A. NIX.

